Anansi was an African superhero. He teamed up with American superhero Static on at least two occasions.

History

The golden spider of Kwaku Anansi was passed on for several generations, each of its bearers tasked with protecting the treasures of the Ashanti people. It passed down to a man who like his predecessors bore the name of his power source: Anansi the Spider. Anansi was a good friend of Dr. Anokye, and the two worked together to preserve Ashanti wealth. Static helped Anansi defeat his enemy Osebo on two occasions: once in Ghana and once in Dakota.

Powers and abilities

Via the golden spider of Kwaku Anansi, Anansi gained the power of storytelling and with it, illusion. He can create illusions that seem real, but aren't. Once an opponent became aware that they were only illusions, they could usually just ignore them.

Anansi can also walk on walls and ceilings like a real spider, which made him able to stand on the bottom of the Static Saucer.

Background information

Anansi the Spider, or Kwaku Anansi, is a trickster in Ashanti folklore. In some tales, he is a man. In others, a spider. But he always achieves his goals through trickery, often helped by his wife Aso. Though many stories exist, the tale of the Box of Stories is used as a background for his appearances in Static Shock. It portrays Anansi in a positive light—he only tricks evildoers—but there are several others in which he cons people, animals and gods for nothing but personal gain.

Dwayne McDuffie wanted to use Anansi as an avatar of the mainstream Kwaku Anansi in a JLA storyline, but was fired from the series before he could implement it.